MOSCOW, March 7 Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda deprived ballerina Ilze Liepa of her citizenship, ELTA reports citing the press secretary of the head of state.
“On Thursday, President Gitanas Nausėda signed decrees according to which he deprived ballerina Ilze Liepa of Lithuanian citizenship, acquired as an exception,” the message says.
The artist herself stated that she has already made a moral choice and remains with Russia.
“It is no coincidence that this decision was made now, during the election campaign of the Russian president. <…> I have given a lot to Lithuania, I have many relatives, friends and acquaintances there. But the time comes when you need to make a moral choice. And I confirm, that I am with my country and with my president,” Liepa said.
Last November, the Republic’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Agne Bilotaite, officially asked the president to deprive the ballerina of her citizenship. The Lithuanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, citing an assessment by the department of state security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the police, claims that the artist poses a threat to the interests of the state. The check was carried out after an interview in which she condemned the policies of the Baltic countries and supported a special operation in Ukraine.
According to Sputnik Lithuania, she received citizenship of this country as an exception in 2000 for many years of performances on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater with the Lithuanian ballet dancer Petras Skirmantas.